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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27814174">it's born from just one single glance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicshaw/pseuds/sapphicshaw'>sapphicshaw</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Neighbors, Reader-Insert</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:28:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,847</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27814174</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicshaw/pseuds/sapphicshaw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You never imagined yourself becoming friends with an FBI agent, let alone falling in love with her.</p><p>Emily Prentiss is an enigma, and you are determined to figure her out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Emily Prentiss/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>it's born from just one single glance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>title from taylor swift's "illicit affairs"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You wake to a kneading sensation on your stomach. As you open your eyes, you're greeted with the sight of a black cat making itself comfortable on you.</p><p>You don't have a black cat.</p><p>Huffing, you glance at the clock and see that it's way too goddamned early to be woken up. This is not the first time the feline had broken into your apartment. It is, however, the first time he's come before four in the morning. <em>Jesus</em>, it isn't even the morning. It's still night. This is getting out of hand.</p><p>You're diligent about locking your door and windows, yet he returns at least once a week. It probably doesn't help that you feed him, encouraging his behavior of sneaking around.</p><p>He plops down on your chest, and you groan at the weight. "Merlin, too early. Too early," you mumble, reaching a hand to push him off gently. He meows and paws at your shoulder. With a huff, you sit up and push the hair out of your face. "Alright buddy, let's get you something to eat. And something for me too," you add, realizing you won't be going back to bed anytime soon.</p><p>Merlin jumps from your bed and makes his way to the kitchen. You roll your eyes. That cat is too damn comfortable in your apartment.</p><p>He had no identifying collar with his name, so rather than calling him "little shit that breaks into my apartment and pees on the floor," you decided to dub him Merlin due to his magical ways of appearing and disappearing without any sign.</p><p>You've only been in the building for a few months now, so you haven't gotten to know your neighbors very well, let alone figure out if they have any feline friends.</p><p>It's your first month in the city, but not the first teaching job you've had in Virginia. You never thought you'd have 24 kids under your care for eight hours a day, yet here you are, 25 years old and responsible for teaching children to be good humans. It's a lot of work but your students are so excited to learn, and you're just as excited to teach them. </p><p>
  <em>(Especially when you get to make arts and crafts and get paid for it.)</em>
</p><p>You figure you might as well get some prep work done before you leave for work. After putting out some food for him, (yes, you had gone out of your way to buy cat food once he became a regular staple in your week) you make yourself a smoothie. You pull up the news on your phone and scroll through the headlines as you drink the smoothie.</p><p>Nothing really catches your eye. It's the same stories of politics and celebrity gossip. You wish you could say you're above reading the gossip, but <em>hey</em>, you're not perfect. </p><p>You scroll to the local news, there's always something interesting going on in the Quantico area, and today is no different. The story of the week has been a military colonel getting arrested for solicitation and sexual assault. Nothing too surprising. Men in power always take advantage of their status and think they can do anything. </p><p>With that being said, you can't really diss all these men in power because you teach a good portion of their kids - and you'd rather not lose your job for talking shit about your student's parents.</p><p>They were uptight and strict. You can't even count all the background checks the school ran on you per the parent's requests. All teachers at the school you were hired at had thorough fingerprinting and background checks. You understand why, considering many of the parents work in high ranking military, government, or FBI positions.</p><p>You check the time and set your phone down with a sigh.</p><p>School starts in less than four hours and you're not feeling very motivated to work on a lesson plan. You decide to go back to bed, try to get a couple of hours, but Merlin seems to have other ideas. He meows and paws and your leg before you finally look down and acknowledge him. "Yes?" you question with raised eyebrows.</p><p>He just looks at you with blank eyes. </p><p>"You got food, water, a nice memory foam bed, <em>which is mine by the way,</em> what else you need, bud?"</p><p>He continues staring.</p><p>You roll your eyes in defeat and make your way back to bed, Merlin trotting behind you. As soon as you're under the covers and close your eyes, there's a meow. </p><p>With a groan, you open your eyes and find the devil cat peering at you.</p><p>You're not going to be getting any more sleep today.</p><p>Maybe this morning would be a good time to figure out how Merlin is getting into and out of your house. You've checked every possible exit and entrance, and your search has yielded nothing.</p><p>One of these days, you'll catch him. You'll prove he's found a non-magical way to get into your apartment. <em>Working with kids makes you believe in the impossible.</em> You just need to find out how he's doing it - and find his damn owner that can't seem to keep their cat in check.</p>
<hr/><p><em>Ha! </em>You see Merlin scampering down the hall. He disappears when he takes a left down the hallway. You look everywhere you can. You have no idea where he could've gone.</p><p>This cat really is a magician.</p><p>It's been a couple of weeks since you decided to investigate Merlin's whereabouts. You haven't had much luck until today. But alas - it's not enough.</p><p>You turn and head back to your apartment, discouraged at not finding the answers to this mystery. As you trudge back, you notice your neighbor unlocking her door. You're not a creep or anything, but you've noticed her infrequency at her apartment. You wonder what kind of job as her away for so long and coming home at odd hours.</p><p>She's pretty. That's actually a bit of an understatement. She's jaw-droppingly gorgeous. You've never spoken, but she holds herself with confidence and intent. You're considering introducing yourself before she unlocks her door and is closing it behind her. You sigh. </p><p>Yet another mystery left unsolved. </p><p>You don't have to teach tomorrow, but you know you need sleep. You head to bed, a magical cat and a certain beautiful woman haunting your dreams.</p><p> You wake up alone. You can't help but be a little disappointed Merlin didn't return. Looking at your alarm clock brings you some relief. You've managed to get more than six hours. That's rare for you. You squint as the sun pours in through the curtains. </p><p>There's nothing set on the schedule for you, so you decide to make it a lazy day. You'll work on next week's lesson plan and watch a movie or something.</p><p>Rolling out of bed, you change into some blue jeans and pull on a hoodie. You walk barefoot to the kitchen and turn on some music as you get out some ingredients for pancakes.</p><p>As you're mixing the batter, there's a scratching at your door and a muffled voice.</p><p>You wipe your hands on a towel before making your way to the door. You open it and wonder if you're still dreaming.</p><p>In front of your door is Merlin, and kneeling next to him is your neighbor. </p><p>You're a little stunned. Her beauty is throwing your manners out the door. </p><p>She speaks before you can even think of a word to utter. </p><p>"I am so sorry. He's not usually like this," she says as she tries to pull him away from your door. Merlin's not having it. He digs his claws into the floor and meows.</p><p>"Oh, um, that's alright. Is he your cat?" you reply, finally finding your voice.</p><p>She looks up at you and pauses. Her eyes give you a quick once over and you feel heat rising to your face as you realize your appearance is not the greatest. Your hair is pulled into a messy bun, and your sweatshirt has batter and egg flecks on it, not to mention the flour you're sure is dusting your cheeks.</p><p>"He is. I'm not sure why he's acting like this," she tells you, breaking you from your thoughts.</p><p>"Well, he kind of comes into my apartment every once in a while."</p><p>Her eyebrows raise. "Sorry?"</p><p>You clear your throat, nervous. "I lock my doors and windows at night, but he still somehow manages to break in."</p><p>She sighs. "I am so sorry. He can be sneaky when I'm not home to give him attention."</p><p>You smile and kneel down to both her and the cat's level, scratching Merlin's ear.</p><p>"I didn't know who he belonged to or his name, so I've been calling him Merlin. You know, for his magical ways of appearing and disappearing."</p><p>She chuckles, giving you a soft look. "That would be a very fitting name. When he's not being a magician, he goes by Sergio."</p><p>"Brilliant name," you tell her with a grin.</p><p>Merlin, <em>nay</em>, Sergio, calms down with the petting he receives from you and the woman, and she's finally able to pick him up.</p><p>She scoops him into her arms and stands. You follow suit and dust your hands off on your pants, getting rid of the cat hair on your palms.</p><p>She moves to her door and lets Sergio down, encouraging him to enter her apartment. He sways into the entryway and disappears. She remains in the doorway, focusing her attention on you.</p><p>You take a moment to really look at her. Her dark hair is down, framing her face. She's wearing black slacks with matching pumps. Her shirt is flattering, red and cut low enough to see the swell of her breasts, but still a professional look. Her blazer is tailored to her and hangs just below her hips.</p><p>And then you see it.</p><p>You take a step back with wide eyes when you see the gun on her hip.</p><p>She frowns in confusion before noticing where you're looking. She glances down at her sidearm before putting her hands up slowly to show you she isn't a threat. "I'm an FBI agent."</p><p>You feel relief wash over you, not nearly as concerned for your wellbeing. "Thank god. With the hours you keep along with seeing that," you motion to her gun, "I was beginning to think you were in the mafia or something."</p><p>She laughs and tells you, "I'd definitely be getting paid more in the mafia." You grin and she opens the door wider. "Feel free to come in. I'm sure Sergio would love even more attention."</p><p>"Only if you show me your FBI badge?" you tease, already a couple of steps in the door. You're feeling bold, which is out of character, but you need to try new things. You're in a new city, you can be anyone you want, and why not be the bold girl?</p><p>Emily closes the door behind you and walks to her counter. She picks up a black, rectangular-shaped wallet and flips it open, displaying her credentials.</p><p>You can't help but look at it in amazement. "Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss," you read aloud before stating, "That's badass."</p><p>She shrugs and sets it back on the counter. "It has its moments." Her fingers tap the badge before she asks, "I showed you mine, you show me yours?"</p><p>"I don't have a fancy badge like you, but I do have a name, if that's what you're asking," you reply, cheeky. You tell her your name and she repeats it, the letters rolling off of her tongue beautifully.</p><p>Sergio rubs his head against your leg and you bend over to scratch his head.</p><p>"He likes you."</p><p>"What's not to like?" you say with a shrug, turning your attention to her.</p><p>There's a brief pause before she asks, "Can I offer you a check or dinner or something to repay you for putting up with this guy?"</p><p>You shake your and smile. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm all good."</p><p>"Are you sure? You fed Sergio and gave him attention. I'm sure he made a mess every once in a while too," she says as she looks at you knowingly.</p><p>You shrug. "He's a good boy. I didn't mind."</p><p>She tilts her head and looks at you for a moment. You're not sure what to do, so you give her an awkward smile.</p><p>"You do that a lot," she says after a beat.</p><p>"Do what?"</p><p>"Minimize yourself to make others feel like they're less of a burden."</p><p>Your flush and shake your head. "No, I'm just bad at taking compliments."</p><p>She doesn't reply, but you can tell she's still studying you as you turn away, a little unnerved from her statement.</p><p>"I should probably head back, long way, you know," you say with a soft look.</p><p>She smiles and picks up her credentials, pulling a business card from it. She scribbles down her number and hands it to you. "I have crazy hours, so if Mr. Sergio here decides to break into your apartment, give me a call."</p><p>You take the card, trying not to react when your fingers touch. "He's not a bother. In fact, I appreciate the company."</p><p>Emily's lips turn up for a second before she hides her expression. "You live alone?"</p><p>"When Sergio isn't breaking into my apartment, yes, it's just me." You're not sure why she cares so much, but you won't turn down an FBI agent seemingly looking out for you.</p><p>"He makes for good company when living alone."</p><p>You don't miss her subtle way of letting you know that she too lives alone. "He has main character energy, that's for sure."</p><p>"You should see him when I take out my phone. It's like he poses for the pictures," she laughs.</p><p>"Oh, he's definitely a model. My kids adore him. I hope it's okay that I've shown them pictures of Sergio?"</p><p>She frowns. "Your kids?"</p><p>"Twenty four of them," you pause, allowing her to remain confused before adding, "I teach Kindergarten."</p><p>She shakes her head with a smile. "For a second there, I thought I might need to call protective services."</p><p>You grin and roll your eyes. "Come on. You're an agent, shouldn't you know what I do for a job?"</p><p>Her eyes dart down, almost as if she's guilty. "Well, yes, I kind of knew right away."</p><p>"No way. How?"</p><p>She pauses for a brief moment before shrugging slightly. "It's my job to study behavior."</p><p>"And what did my behavior tell you?" you question, genuinely wanting to know.</p><p>"I can't share all my secrets," she teases, giving you a piercing look. "But, I can tell you that there's marker residue on your fingers, which lead me to believe you engage in art and crafts. The glitter you have speckled on you only adds to that theory." She smirks as you check yourself from the glitter you had just been using with your students the day before. "From what little time I do spend at my apartment, I can't help but take notice of my neighbors' behaviors. You leave your apartment before seven and return after four. You dress professionally, but not exactly office attire." she says, giving you a once over, her eyes lingering on your sweatshirt.</p><p>You're a little unnerved she got so much information from your appearance and behavior.</p><p>"I can go on, but it usually freaks people out," she tells you honestly.</p><p>You nod. "It's definitely strange. But I'm also impressed. Like, you were super badass just being an agent, but your ability to do all that," you gesture with your hand, "that's some omniscient stuff right there."</p><p>She chuckles, her lips turning up. "I appreciate that, but I don't know <em>everything</em>. I study behavior and how people interact."</p><p>"Maybe you should be the one dubbed Merlin. Those are some magical skills."</p><p>"I have many magical <em>skills</em>," she says, trying to hide a smirk.</p><p>You're speechless. You bite the inside of your cheek before responding, "I have no doubt."</p><p>She tucks her hair behind her ear and straightens her posture. She tells you, "I'd like to keep talking with you, but today's my first day off in a while, and I think you have some pancakes to get back to."</p><p>"Sounds good. Enjoy your day off, Agent." You give Sergio a pat on his head before heading to your apartment</p><p> As you open your door, Emily calls out from her doorway, "Hey."</p><p>You turn, your stomach fluttering. "Yeah?"</p><p>She grins. "You've got some on your cheek," she says, tapping her own cheek.</p><p>You wipe your cheek and see the flour that comes off. "Oops," you respond, an embarrassed smile on your face.</p><p>"No, it's cute." Emily shoots you a teasing look and a little wave before closing her door. </p><p>You enter your apartment and close the door behind you, a smile growing on your face as you think of your pretty neighbor. </p><p>You are <em>way</em> too single to be living next to such a gorgeous person. Fuck. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tiktok made me write this. if ur on criminal minds tiktok, go suggest this fic on there. it'll make my day and i'll love u forever!!!!</p><p>please leave kudos &amp; comments :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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